A 15-minute brain scan could be used to test for autism, helping doctors diagnose the complex condition more quickly, cheaply and accurately. Declan Murphy, professor of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London has developed the rapid test, with results proving more than 90 percent accurate in adults with similar results expects for children.

It could drastically reducing the reliance on time-consuming and emotionally trying assessments based on interviews and behavioral observation.

Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one percent of the population in Britain, and the condition affects four times as many boys as girls. Researchers agree there is a strong genetic component. The new scanning method, picks up on structural changes in the brain's grey matter, and analyzing variations in the shape and structure of brain regions linked to language and social behavior, using standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines which are generally available.

Professor Murphy and colleagues, studied 20 healthy adults and another 20 people previously diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which also includes Asperger syndrome.

The accuracy of the scan in predicting autism was so high that the results were strongly significant, despite the small number of patients involved. The scan could be ready for general use in a couple of years